Valve means for a fluid pump or the like and method of making same

ABSTRACT

A fluid pump construction having a pump body. A valve chamber formed in the pump body with the pump body having an annular valve seat projecting into the chamber and an annular rib means also projecting into the chamber and facing the annular valve seat. A flexible valve member is disposed in the chamber between the valve seat and the rib means in such a manner that the rib means causes the valve member to be biased against the valve seat to close the same as the rib means flexes and tends to hold the valve member in substantially a conical configuration that is adapted to engage the valve seat and be traversed by the plane of the valve seat.

Russell United States Patent 1191 [5 VALVE MEANS FOR A FLUID PUMP OR THELIKE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME 1 [75] Inventor: -William J. Russell,Malvern, Pa. [73] Assignee: Robertshaw Controls Company,

I Richmond, Va.

[22] Filed: Sept. 27, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 292,646

[51] Int. Cl..; F04b 39/10 [58] Field of Search 417/566, 569, 570, 571,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,711,803 5/1929 Munday417/571 2,121,549 6/1938 McNeal 137/496 2,176,691 10/1939 S imons417/571 2,497,906 2/1950 Peters et al. 137/496 3,297,260 1/1967 .Barlow.1. 137/496 3,354,830 1 11/1967 Mortara 3,401,719 9/1968 Rosser 137/525Phillips et al. 417/569 June 25, 1974 3,509,907 5/1970 Gannaway 417/5713,545,897 12/1970 Russell 3,664,770 5/1972 Palmer 417/383 FOREIGNPATENTS OAR APPLlCATlONS 1,013,298 10/1963 Great Britain 417/413 PrimaryEx aminerWilliam L. Freeh Assistant Examiner-G. P. La Pointe Attorney,Agent, or Firm -Candor, Candor & Tassone [5 7] ABSTRACT A fluid pumpconstruction having a pump body. A valve chamber formed in the pump bodywith the pump body having an annular valve seat projecting into thechamber and an annular rib means also projecting into the chamber andfacing the annular valve seat. A flexible valve member is disposed inthe chamber between the valve seat and the rib means in such a mannerthat the rib means causes the valve member to be biased against thevalve seat to close the same as the rib means flexes and tends to holdthe valve member in substantially a conical configuration that isadapted to engage the valve seat and be traversed by y the plane of thevalve seat.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 1 VALVE MEANS FOR A FLUID PUMP OR THE LIKEAND METHOD OF MAKING SAME This invention relates to an improved pumpconstruction as well as to an improved method of making such a pumpconstruction or the like.

It is well known that fluid pumps have been provided wherein during apumping stroke, fluid is drawn into the expanding pumping chamberthereof through an inlet or intake valve while the outlet or exhaustvalve is maintained in a closed position and during the discharge strokewherein the volume of the pumping chamber is decreased, the intake valveis closed and the fluid is forced out of the exhaust valve.

It is a feature of this invention to provide an improved valve means forsuch afluid pump or the like wherein a-flexible valve member is providedand the natural 'resiliancy thereof is utilized as thesole spring forcein tending to maintain the valve member in closed position against itsvalve seat.

In particular, one embodiment of this invention provides a fluid pumpconstruction that has'a pump body provided with a valve chamber formedin the pump body. The pump body has an annular valve seat meansprojecting into the chamber. The pump body also has an annular rib meansprojecting into the chamber and facing the annular valve seat means. Aflexible valve member is dispoed in the chamber between the valve seatmeans and the rib means. The valve seat means and the rib means are soconstructed and arranged that the valve member is biased against thevalve seat means to tend to close the same as the rib means flexes andtends to hold the valve member in substantially a conical configurationthat is adapted to engage the valve seat means and be traversed by theplane of the valve seat means. Thus, as the valve member is moved awayfrom the valve seat means by a pressure differential acting across thesame increasing in a direction to move the valve seat member away fromthe valve seat means, the valve seat member becomes more conical in itsconfiguration to permit the opening of the valve seat means.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to'provide an improvedfluid pump construction having one or more of the novel features setforth above or hereinafter shown or described.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved method ofmaking such a pump construction or the like.

Other objects, uses and advantages of this invention are apparent from areading of this description which proceeds with reference to theaccompanying drawings forming a part thereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the improved pump construction of thisinvention mounted to a frame means that provides an electromagneticdrive for the fluid pump,

FIG. 1 being in partial cross section.

means for a fluid pump or the like, it is to be understood that thevarious features of this invention can be utilized singly or anycombination thereof to provide valve means for other devices as desired.

Therefore, this invention is not to be limited to only the embodimentillustrated in the drawings, because the drawings are merely utilized toillustrate one of the wide variety of uses of this invention. I

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the improved fluid pump of thisinvention is generally indicated by the reference numeral and comprisesa pump body 11 being carried by a C-shaped frame member 12 having theopposed ends 13 and 14 thereof substantially directed toward each other.An electrical coil 15 is disposed on the end 14 of the C-shaped frame 12whereby the end 14 of the frame 12. acts as a core element for g thecoil 15. A movable armature 16 is carried by a flexible leaf spring 17on the end 13 of the frame 12 in such a manner that the same is adaptedto be oscillated toward and away from substantial alignment with thecore 14 of the coil 15 duringthe time the coil 15 is being energized ina manner well known in the art whereby such oscillating movement of thearmature 16 will be utilized to drive the pump 10 of this invention.

The pump body 11 is formed of two body parts 18 and 19 suitably securedtogether in abutting relation in a manner hereinafter described bysuitable fastening means 20 with such fastening means 20 also fasteningthe assembled body parts 18 and 19 to the frame 12 as illustrated.

The pump body part 18 has an upwardly directed tubular portion 21provided with an outwardly turned lip 22 and over which is snap fittedan outer peripheral means 23 of a flexible cup-shaped diaphragm 24having its inner periphery 25 stacked in an annular groove 26 of adiaphragm collar 27 that closes the inner peripheral means 25 of thecup-shaped diaphragm 24. In this manner, the diaphragm 24 and diaphragmcollar 27 00- operates with the pump body part 18 to define a pumpingchamber 28 therebetween.

A threaded stem member 29 has its lower end 30 threaded in a threadedbore 31 of the diaphragm collar 27 to interconnect the stem 29 theretoas illustrated. The upper end 32 of the stem 29 is fastened to a smallleaf spring 33 attached to the armature 16 by a rivet 34 in such amanner that the stem 29 is adapted to pass through an opening 35 in thearmature 16 and be suspended therein in a cantilevered manner. In thismanner, while the armature 16 is being oscillated up and down insubstantially an arcuate path by the energized coil 15 as the center ofsuch arcuate path is the point where the leaf spring 17 is attached tothe end 13 of the frame 12, the stem 29, through its leaf spring 33, isadapted to reciprocate up and down in FIGS. 1 and 2 with a substantiallystraight line motion to cause substantially straight up and downmovement of the diaphragm 24 and, thus, increasing and decreasing thevolume condition in the pumping chamber 28 for a pump ing actionthereof. This straight line flexing of the diaphragm 24 increases thelife thereof over the life of the same if the diaphragm werereciprocated with an arcuate motion.

The lower pump body part 19 has an upper substantially flat surface 36that is provided with an annular valve seat 37 projecting upwardlytherefrom, the valve seat 37 being substantially a truncated triangle incross section with the smaller base thereon projecting'upwardly andbeing surrounded by an annular groove 38 disposed in an annular shoulder39 that also projects above the surface 36 but is disposed below theplane 40 of the valve seat 37.

An annular rib means 41 also projects upwardly from the surface 36 ofthe housing body part 19 with the annular rib means 41 being disposedabove an annular shoulder 42 that is disposed within the annular ribmeans 41 and extends above the surface 36 of the body part 19.

The annular rib means 41 as well as the annular shoulder 39 of theannular valve seat 37 is surrounded by a figure-eight-like groove 43formed in the surface 36 of the body part 19 for a purpose hereinafterdescribed.

The shoulder 42 and annular rib means 41 is provided with a plurality ofradially disposed slots 44 which are adapted to interconnect the centralpart of the annular rib means 41 with the exterior thereof.

A pair of passage means 45 and 46 are respectively formed in the bodypart 19 so as to intersect with the central parts of the valve seat 37and annular rib means 41 as illustrated, the passage means 45 and 46also passing through suitable nipples 47 and 48 extending from the otherside 49 of the housing part 19 as illustrated. Thus, suitable conduitmeans can be respectively coupled to the nipple means 47 and 48 tothereby fluidly interconnect desired structure to the valve seat 37 andannular rib means 41 for a purpose hereinafter described.

The other pump body part 18 is provided with a lower flat surface 50 andis adapted to mate with the flat surface 36 of the pump body part 19when the body parts 18 and 19 are assembled together in a mannerillustrated in FIG. 2.

A substantially figure-eight-shaped shoulder 51 extends downwardly fromthe flat surface 50 of the body part 18 and is of an outer configurationadapted to fully mate within the figure-eight-like groove 43 of the pumpbody part 19 as illustrated in FIG. 2.

The shoulder 51 of the body part 18 is interrupted by a recess 52 thatforms a substantially frustoconical valve seat 53 that projects into therecess 52 beyond the substantially flat end wall 54 thereof that is alsoprovided with an annular groove 55 therein that surrounds the valve seat53.

Another recess 56 also interrupts the shoulder 51 of the pump body part18 and defines an annular rib means 57 therein which projects outwardlyfrom the flat end wall 58 of the recess 56 and beyond an annularshoulder 59 thereof, the shoulder 59 and annular rib means 57 also beinginterrupted by a plurality of radially disposed slots 60 in the samemanner of the slots 44 previously described.

The housing part 18 is also provided with a pair of passages 61 and 62which interconnect the central parts of the valve seat means 53 andannular rib means 57 with the interior of the tubular portion 21 thereofand, thus, to the pumping chamber 28 when the tubular part 21 is closedby the diaphragm 24 and collar 27 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2.

A pair of annular sealing gaskets 63 and 64 can be respectively disposedaround the rib means 41 and valve seat 37 of the pump body part 19 to bereceived in the eight-shaped recess 43 thereof to cooperate with theeight-shaped shoulder 51 of the pump body part 18 when the two areassembled together with their faces 36 and facing each other in themanner illustrated in FIG. 2 so that the faces 50 and 36 are sealedtogether completely around the respective valve seats 37 and 53 at thejuncture between the body parts 18 and 19.

Before the pump body parts 18 and 19 are assembled together, flatcircular flexible valve members or discs 65 and 66, formed of rubber orother resilient material, are respectively disposed in the recesses 52and 56 of the body part 18 so that when the body parts 18 and 19 areassembled together, the annular rib means 41 and valve seat 37 of thebody part 19 are respectively received in the recesses 52 and 56 of thebody part 19 to cooperate therewith and provide valve chambers in thepump body 11 having the valve members 65 and 66 therein. The annular ribmeans 41 and 57 are so constructed and arranged relative to the valveseats 53 and 37 that when the surfaces 50 and 36 of the housing parts 18and 19 are brought together, each valve member 65 and 66 is caused tosubstantially wrap around the respective valve seat 53 or 37 by the ribmeans 41 or 57 to assume a substantially conical shape which tends towant to flatten out and, thus, seal against the respective valve seat 53or 37 as illustrated in FIG. 2 solely by the natural bias of the valvemember 65 or 66.

Thus, it can be seen that the annular rib means 41 and 57 cause eachvalve member 65 and 66 to assume a substantially conical shape andthereby through the natural resiliency of the valve member 65 and 66itself, to engage against the valve seat 53 or 37 with the conicalconfiguration thereof being completely traversed by the plane 40 or 67of the valve seat 37 or 53.

Accordingly, it can be seen that the pump 10 of this invention can beformed from a relatively few parts that can be assembled together in asimple and effective manner according to the teachings of the method of4 this invention to provide the pump 10 with valve means 65 and 66 whichare adapted to normally close the respective seats 53 and 37 through thenatural resiliency of the valve members 65 and 66 that are held in asubstantially conical shape by the annular rib means 41 and 57 tofunction in a manner now to be described.

When the coil 15 is energized, the same causes arcuate oscillatingmovement of the armature 16 toward and away from the axis of the core 14whereby such oscillating movement of the armature 16 causes the stem 29to cause an up and down pumping action of the flexible diaphragm 24relative to the stationary pump body 11. As the diaphragm 24 is beingpulled upwardly by the stem 29, the volume of the chamber 28 increasesand thereby causes an increase in the pressure differential across thevalve member 66 so that fluid in the passage 45 tends to force the valvemember 66 off of the valve seat 37 by forming the valve means 66 into amore angular conical configuration and thereby permitting the fluid inthe passage 45 to enter through the now open valve seat 37 and openings66' in the valve member 66 and radial slots to the passage 62 that leadsto the pumping chamber 28. During such upward movement of the diaphragm24 to increase the volume of the chamber 28, it can be seen that theresulting pressure differential acting across the valve member causesthe valve member 65 to increase its closing pressure against the valveseat 53.

However, when the diaphragm 24 has been pulled upwardly by the armature16 to its fullest extent, and

the armature 1,6 is being thereafter driven downwardly by the coil tocause the volume in the pumping chamber 28 to decrease, the increasepressure of the fluid in the chamber 28 causes the fluid to force itselfout through the valve member 65 by movingv the valve member 65 away fromthe valve seat 53 in the manner previously described for the valve seat37 and, thus, pass through the open valve seat 53, openings 65' in thevalve member 65 and slots 44 in the rib means 41 to the passage means 46leading away from the pump 10. During such exhaust stroke of the pump10, the force of the fluid in the pumping chamber 28 maintains the valvemember 56in full engagement with the intake valve seat 37.

Therefore, it can be seen that valve member 66 acts as an intake valvemember upon an upstroke of the armature l6 and the valve'member 65 actsas an exhaust valve member on the downstroke of the armature 16.

Accordingly, itican be seen that this invention provides an improvedfluid pump construction as well as an improved method for making such afluid pump construction or the like. i V

While the form of the invention now preferred has been disclosed anddescribed as required by the Patent Statutes, it is to be understoodthat other forms'can be utilized and all come within the scope of theappended claims,

What is claimed is: j

1. In a fluid pump construction having a pump body, the improvementcomprising a valve chamber formed in said pump body, said pump bodyhaving an annular said annular rib means having a larger diameter thanthe diameter of said annular valve seat means, said pump body having apassage formed therein and interconnecting to said chamber at a pointsubstantially centrally of said annular rib means and said shoulder,said annular rib means and said shoulder being interrupted by aplurality of radially disposed slots formed therein and facing towardsaid annular valve seat, said slots crossing with each other at saidpoint where said pas sage interconnects to said chamber whereby theinterconnecting end ofsaid passage is recessed below said shoulder. i

2. In a fluid pump construction as set forth in claim 1, the furtherimprovement wherein said pump body is formed of two body partsdisposed'and secured together in abutting relation to define said valvechamber .therebetween, one bodypart carrying said annular valve seat andthe other body part carrying said annular rib means.

3. Ina fluid pump construction as setforth in claim 2, the furtherimprovement wherein said body parts define another valve chambertherebetween, said one body part having another annular rib meansthereon projecting into said other chamber, said other body part havinganother valve seat means thereon projecting into said other chamber, andanother flexible valve member being disposed in said other chamberbetween said other valve means and said other rib means in the samemanner as the first-named valve member.

valve seat means projecting into said chamber, said pump body having anannular rib means projecting into said chamber and facing said annularvalve seat means,

' and a flexible valve member disposed in said chamber between saidvalve seat means and said rib means, said valve seat means and said ribmeans being so constructed and arranged that said valve member is biasedagainst said valve seat means to close the same as said rib means flexesand tends to hold said valve member in substantially a conicalconfiguration that is adapted to engage said valve seat means and thatis traversed by the plane of said valve seat means, said annular ribmeans being disposed substantially concentrically-with said annularvalve seat means and surrounding a shoulder of said pump body that alsoprojects into said chamber but is recessed below said annular rib means,

4. In a fluid pump construction as set forth in claim 3, the furtherimprovement wherein one of said body parts has means defmg a pumpingchamber and passage means respectively leading to the central part ofits respective rib means and valve seat means.

5. In a fluid pump construction as set forth in claim 4, the furtherimprovement wherein the body part that does not have said pumpingchamber has passage means therein respectively leading from the centralpart of its respective rib means and valve seat means to the exteriorthereof.

6. In a fluid pump construction as set forth in claim 5, the furtherimprovement wherein said body parts have mating grooves and tonguessurrounding said valve chambers, and sealing means compressed betweensaid body parts at said tongue and grooves thereof to seal said chambersat the juncture between said two abutting body parts.

1. In a fluid pump construction having a pump body, the improvementcomprising a valve chamber formed in said pump body, said pump bodyhaving an annular valve seat means projecting into said chamber, saidpump body having an annular rib means projecting into said chamber andfacing said annular valve seat means, and a flexible valve memberdisposed in said chamber between said valve seat means and said ribmeans, said valve seat means and said rib means being so constructed andarranged that said valve member is biased against said valve seat meansto close the same as said rib means flexes and tends to hold said valvemember in substantially a conical configuration that is adapted toengage said valve seat means and that is traversed by the plane of saidvalve seat means, said annular rib means being disposed substantiallyconcentrically with said annular valve seat means and surrounding ashoulder of said pump body that also projects into said chamber but isrecessed below said annular rib means, said annular rib means having alarger diameter than the diameter of said annular valve seat means, saidpump body having a passage formed therein and interconnecting to saidchamber at a point substantially centrally of said annular rib means andsaid shoulder, said annular rib means and said shoulder beinginterrupted by a plurality of radially disposed slots formed therein andfacing toward said annular valve seat, said slots crossing with eachother at said point where said passage interconnects to said chamberwhereby the interconnecting end of said passage is recessed below saidshoulder.
 2. In a fluid pump construction as set forth in claim 1, thefurther improvement wherein said pump body is formed of two body partsdisposed and secured together in abutting relation to define said valvechamber therebetween, one body part carrying said annular valve seat andthe other body part carrying said annular rib means.
 3. In a fluid pumpconstruction as set forth in claim 2, the further improvement whereinsaid body parts define another valve chamber therebetween, said one bodypart having another annular rib means thereon projecting into said otherchamber, said other body part having another valve seat means thereonprojecting into said other chamber, and another flexible valve memberbeing disposed in said other chamber between said other valve means andsaid other rib means in the same manner as the first-named valve member.4. In a fluid pump construction as set forth in claim 3, the furtherimprovement wherein one of said body parts has means defing a pumpingchamber and passage means respectively leading to the central part ofits respective rib means and valve seat means.
 5. In a fluid pumpconstruction as set forth in claim 4, the further improvement whereinthe body part that does not have said pumping chamber has passage meanstherein respectively leading from the central part of its respective ribmeans and valve seat means to the exterior thereof.
 6. In a fluid pumpconstruction as set forth in claim 5, the further improvement whereinsaid body parts have mating grooves and tongues surrounding said valvechambers, and sealing means compressed between said body parts at saidtongue and grooves thereof to seal said chambers at the juncture betweensaid two abutting body parts.